Evaluation of the effects of biperiden on convulsive behavior and microglial activation after induction of traumatic brain injury in rats

• Grant number: 22/01718-1
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: March 01, 2022
• End date: December 31, 2022
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Physiology - Physiology of Organs and Systems
• Principal Investigator: Beatriz de Oliveira Monteiro
• Grantee: Matheus Braga Barnabé
• Host Institution: Escola Paulista de Medicina (EPM). Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP). Campus São Paulo. São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 18/24561-5 - Epileptogenesis, biomarkers and post-traumatic epilepsy, AP.TEM

Abstract

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is an acute brain insult that has as a main consequence the increased susceptibility to seizures and epilepsy. The inflammatory process that begins after the initial insult may trigger changes related to the manifestation of post-traumatic seizures, besides influencing the development of the process of epileptogenesis that progresses to post-traumatic epilepsy (PTE). The risk of developing PTE is high in individuals suffering from brain trauma, and the manifestation of post-traumatic seizures is directly related to the intensity of the injury. There is evidence that microglial cells are critical mediators of chronic TBI-induced inflammation. TBI breaks with the stability of microglia linked to brain homeostasis, leading to deleterious effects. According to evidence observed in an animal model of pilocarpine, biperiden has a protective effect and has been proposed as a possible treatment for epilepsy, especially refractory epilepsy. However, the mechanisms that generate its possible anticonvulsant effect after TBI have not yet been explored. Thus, in the present project, we propose to investigate the therapeutic potential of biperiden and its effects on the convulsive threshold and susceptibility to acute seizures induced by PTZ after TBI. In addition, we will investigate microglial activation and changes in its phenotypes after the lesion and treatment with biperiden.(AU)